CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Pink just might be the Redhawks' color.
Clad in pink uniforms, the Southeast Missouri Redhawks (3-6/2-4 OVC) found a variety of ways to score in handing Tennessee Tech (2-7/1-5 OVC) a 38-17 setback on an overcast and breezy Saturday afternoon in Houck Stadium.
SEMO had an 81-yard touchdown run, a blocked punt returned for a TD, and a 69-yard punt return to paydirt among its scoring plays.
For its part, Tech had a valiant effort by Brock McCoin, a wide receiver who played his first collegiate game at quarterback and did all he could to spark the Golden Eagle offense. McCoin passed for 192 yards and rushed for another 146 yards, but seven sacks dropped his ground total to 96 yards. In all, he accounted for 288 yards of total offense. The seven sacks cost him 42 yards.
Jay Rudwall topped the Tech defense with 11 tackles, while Tra'Darius Goff added nine tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack.
It was a 17-point third quarter by the Redhawk special teams that spelled doom for Tech, with two huge plays by the punt return units ending in touchdowns, plus a booming, 50-yard field goal.
Midway in the period, Darrius Darden-Box rushed through the line, blocked Jonathan King's punt, and recovered at the seven before rambling into the end zone, turning a close game into a 21-10 SEMO lead.
Three minutes later, Ryan McCrum put a 50-yard field goal try through the uprights to make it 24-10. And, two minutes after that, Paul McRoberts fielded a short punt at the SEMO 31 on the dead run, broke through the right side and raced 69 yards to the end zone for a 31-10 lead.
Tech rallied with a touchdown run by Dorian Carter, his second of the day, to make it 31-17 early in the fourth, but another promising drive came up one yard short after the Golden Eagles had marched 45 yards.
SEMO added an eight-yard TD run by quarterback Dante Vandeven with 2:24 remaining for the final score.
Things opened well enough for Tech, which held leads of 3-0 and 10-7.
A quarterback sack by Tra'Darius Goff stopped SEMO early and forced a punt, and Tech used the momentum to grab a 3-0 lead on a 47-yard field goal by John Arnold, equaling the second-longest of his career.
The Redhawks took a 7-3 lead with 4:12 to play in the first when Tremane McCullough scooted through the middle and found an open field, racing 81 yards for a touchdown.
McCullough celebrated a bit too much with the tailgaters behind the end zone, however, and the SEMO sidelines also drew a penalty. The home team was forced to kickoff from its own 10, and that allowed Tech to regain the lead.
McCoin, who ranks among the league's leaders in receiving, proved he can also generate passing yards. His picture-perfect deep ball deep down the middle was caught by Krys Cates at the SEMO one, setting up a one-yard touchdown plunge by Dorian Carter with 2:47 left in the opening period. The redshirt freshman followed a bulldozer of a block by game captain, right guard Jibrin Linge.
The Redhawks had a chance to tie the game early in the second period, but a 47-yard field goal attempt by Ryan McCrum fell well short.
The Golden Eagle defense nearly made a sensational goal line stand from inside the one late in the half, but officials ruled that Vandeven was across the line at the bottom of a pile, and the Redhawks went ahead 14-10 with 3:46 to play before halftime. The scoring drive had numerous false starts as SEMO was penalized several times in the early going. A penalty on Tech late put the ball first-and-goal at the eight, and the drive eventually went 90 yards in 13 plays.
McCullough finished with 138 rushing yards on 17 carries, while Vandeven was 11-for-21 for 125 yards. McRoberts topped the SEMO receivers with four catches for 56 yards.
The Golden Eagles get a much-needed weekend off next Saturday (Nov. 7), and return to action with two home games to wrap up the 2015 season. Tech will host Austin Peay for Homecoming on Saturday, Nov. 14, with kickoff slated for 1:30 p.m.
PREGAME NOTES
* Sophomore Brock McCoin will make his first career start at quarterback, putting Colton Belew into the starting spot at the W position vacated by McCoin.
* Chris Harris will handle kickoffs this season, his first action of the year.
* SEMO is wearing pink jerseys, white pants with pink stripes, and decals on black helmets in recognition of October as breast cancer awareness month. Tech is clad in white jerseys with purple pants and gold helmets.
